The Breakup Plan, page 6
“Perhaps,” he mutters. “It would have been better if Ronnie and I had spoken to each of you in private.”
Ronnie?
My gaze swings to Mom who’s back to wearing a besotted expression on her face. I’ve never heard anyone call her that. Not even my father. Speaking of which, I thought those two were trying to get back together? Isn’t that what he told me this summer?
I grind my back teeth feeling my temper spike again.
David’s eyes dart between his daughter and me before he shakes his head. “Oh, Whit, I almost forgot.” He raises a hand in my direction. “This is Grayson! You’re both seniors at Hillsdale.” A hopeful note threads its way through his voice. It’s as if he’s grasping at straws, trying to right this listing ship.
But that’s not going to happen.
I almost feel bad for him.
Almost.
“Yeah, Dad,” she says drily. “I know who Grayson is.”
Caught off guard by the admission, he asks, “Wait a minute, you two are friends?”
“Yup,” I cut in swiftly before she can beat me to the punch. “We sure are.”
I’m tempted to tell David just how well acquainted I am with his daughter. If for no other reason than to see the look on his face.
But I don’t.
No matter how much of a dick I’ve been in the past, I won’t hurt Whitney in order to lash out at our parents. It’s obvious that she’s just as much a victim in this as I am.
Although…that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun at her expense.
“Huh,” David says. “Isn’t that a coincidence?”
“Sure is.” I settle against my chair. “Whitney’s a huge hockey fan. She attended every home game last season.” A smirk twists my lips. “In fact, I seem to recall her having a bit of a crush on me freshman year.” I tilt my head and flick my gaze in her direction. “Isn’t that right, Whit?”
Instead of answering, she gnashes her teeth and glares.
“Really?” David chuckles and shakes his head. “That’s so cute. My little girl with a crush.”
Whitney’s face goes up in flames as she rams the toe of her shoe into my shin under the table.
Twice.
Damn, that hurts.
I quickly swivel my legs away before she can inflict further damage. Pain radiates throughout my shin, but the glowering look on her face is well worth the price of admission.
“I did not have a crush on him,” she snaps.
“Ohhhh, I’m pretty sure that you did,” I interject in an obnoxious singsong voice. “Don’t you remember that party—”
“Fine!” she barks, cutting me off. “I liked you for all of a week. Then I came to my senses.”
“If I’d known you liked hockey so much, we could have attended a few games together,” David says, interrupting our back-and-forth banter before it can escalate. “I guess that’s something we’ll be able to do this season.” David glances at me before his eyes once again settle on Mom and another dopey smile overtakes his face. “How much fun will that be?”
Whitney gives me a well-honed death stare. “Tons.”
“Well, I’m glad that you two are already friends,” he says sounding more relaxed. “That certainly makes circumstances easier.”
Friends?
Ha!
I almost laugh out loud at her father’s description of our relationship. If he only knew! The last thing I’m interested in being is Whitney’s friend. All I want—
Wait a minute.
Why the hell should it matter if Whitney and I are friends?
I don’t like the direction this conversation is headed in. Not one damn bit. What I should probably do is sit back and assess the situation. But with each second that slowly ticks by, my agitation continues to grow until I blurt, “What does us being friends make easier?”
An awkward silence descends.
When neither of them explains the comment, my narrowed gaze swings from David, who has gone radio silent, to my mother, who sits with her hands folded primly in her lap.
“Oh, um, well—” she begins before being interrupted by our waitress, who takes our drink and food order. I rattle off something but have no idea what. Brunch is the last thing on my mind.
Once she disappears, I stare at Mom and wait. I have a feeling that I know what’s coming down the pike, but I want to hear her say it.
Actually, I hope to God I’m wrong.
The table—hell, the entire restaurant—fades to the background as Mom moistens her lips.
“David and I wanted to share with both of you that we’ve been seeing each other for a few months—”
“A few months?” Whitney gasps, echoing my sentiments perfectly.
What.
The.
Actual.
Fuck?
Mom bites her lower lip and nods. “We’ve been dating for three wonderful months—”
David leans toward her and murmurs, “They have been wonderful, haven’t they, Ronnie?”
“Yes, they’ve been amazing.” Her eyes go all soft and gooey as she becomes trapped in his gaze. It’s almost more than I can stand. Thankfully, she shakes herself out of the trance and continues. “And it’s become quite serious.” She pauses, her eyes meeting mine and then Whitney’s. “Serious enough that we thought you two should meet one another.” Mom hoists a nervous smile as she exclaims, “But here you are, already friends.”
When we both remain silent, she rushes on. “I know this might seem out of the blue, but it’s really not.”
“I’ve actually known Ronnie since high school,” David pipes up. “And she’s just as beautiful now as she was then.”
Mom blushes at the compliment and it takes everything I have inside not to roll my eyes. The guy certainly likes to lay it on thick, that’s for sure.
I glance at Whitney only to find her confused gaze already pinned to mine. With wide eyes, she shakes her head as if to say what the hell is going on here? I raise my brows and shrug. I haven’t the slightest clue.
David wraps his fingers around Mom’s hand and squeezes. I’m tempted to wipe the dopey smile off his face. “Ronnie and I are planning a trip to the Virgin Islands.” He glances at Whitney and me. “Isn’t that exciting?”
No, it’s totally messed up. How is Mom supposed to get back together with Dad if she’s dating this joker?
I slump in my seat as they chatter excitedly about their upcoming vaca. From the corner of my eye, I catch our waitress and raise my hand to flag her down. Clearly, I’m going to need a stiff drink to get through the rest of this meal.
Actually, make it a double.
Chapter Nine
Whitney
“Can you believe that?” I spear a piece of fruit with my fork and pop it into my mouth. Katelyn and I are grabbing lunch at the student union on campus.
She shakes her head and takes a massive bite of her burger. Once she’s swallowed the masticated meat, she says, “Nope.” Another bite disappears in her mouth and she chews it thoughtfully. “If anything, you have to give David props for putting himself out there after all this time.”
Has she heard one word that I’ve said? This isn’t a good thing.
My brows lower. “No, actually I don’t. It’s not like I want him to be alone for the rest of his life, but—”
“You just don’t want another woman taking your mom’s place,” Katelyn finishes for me.
“I don’t know.” My shoulders droop as she cuts right to the chase. “Maybe.”
We continue eating in silence as her words circle through my head. A few minutes later, she picks up a fry and points it at me. “I don’t think anyone will ever take the place of your mom, Whit. But she’s been gone for a long time and I’m sure he’s lonely. Your dad probably just wants someone to spend time with. Can you blame him?”
“I guess not,” I say glumly.
I mean, he did seem pretty happy at brunch. I wrack my brain, trying to remember the last time I saw him smile so much. My appetite disappears, but I still stab a piece of cantaloupe with my fork. Instead of eating it, I push it around the bowl. It’s not like I don’t see the logic of what she’s saying.
“It’s seriously crazy that David is seeing Gray McNichol’s mom.” She waggles her brows and grins. “If you play your cards right, the two of you could end up being stepsiblings.” More laughter bubbles up from her throat. “How hilarious would that be?”
She’s kidding, right?
My expression contorts with horror. I don’t know why, but I hadn’t even considered the possibility of that happening. Maybe because I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my dad has been dating someone on the sly for three months and I knew nothing about it. Even though I try tamping it down, hurt flares to life inside me. I thought we were close and shared everything. Okay, maybe not everything. There are some things you just can’t share with your dad. But still…secretly dating someone for three months is huge. This relationship would be a lot easier to accept if I’d known about it from the beginning and been able to watch it grow instead of finding out about it when they’ve already planned a romantic getaway. I feel like I’ve been dropped into an episode of The Twilight Zone.
“Bite your tongue!” I grab a fry from her plate and pelt it in her direction. How dare she say something like that to me? I’d rather slit my own throat than allow that to happen.
My plans after graduation involve never seeing Gray McNichols again. And that can’t happen if our parents are dating, or—God forbid—in a serious relationship.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying that it would be funny.”
I narrow my gaze. “You can be a real jerk sometimes.”
“True statement,” she agrees.
“No,” I correct. “All the time.” Okay, I’m being a bit harsh. Katelyn is a good friend and I’m lucky to have her.
“Do you have any idea,” she says, interrupting my thoughts. “Just how many girls on this campus would yank out their hair extensions to have Gray as a stepbrother?”
I roll my eyes and pop the speared chunk of cantaloupe into my mouth. “Well, they can have him. I’m not interested.”
Katelyn tilts her head as she considers me silently from across the table. I don’t like the searching look now aimed in my direction. The last thing I need is her digging deeper and discovering that for all my protests regarding Gray, I really do have—
“Hmmm.” Another pause. “Are you sure there isn’t a tiny flame flickering deep inside for the guy?”
I give her my best are you crazy look and shake my head emphatically. “Nope. Can’t stand him. He’s nothing more than a player.”
“Okay. If you say so.” She shrugs but doesn’t necessarily look convinced. “Honestly, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” She picks up her diet cola and takes a sip. “What are the chances of this relationship turning into something that lasts?”
Exactly!
I latch on to the comment like it’s a lifeline.
“Give it a couple of months,” she continues. “I bet they’ll breakup and move on.” Her face grows serious. “Although, you’re going to have to accept that the horse is out of the barndoor and there ain’t no putting him back inside.”
Ugh. She’s right. Maybe it was foolish to expect Dad never to date again. To live a celibate—
Woah.
I slam on the mental brakes before that thought can go any further. Traveling down that road will only lead to years of therapy. And that, I don’t need. As far as I’m concerned, Dad doesn’t have a sex life.
“His relationship with Gray’s mom will probably fizzle out in a couple of months,” Katelyn continues. “But I doubt he’ll stop dating. So, you better prepare yourself for the fact that he’ll be bringing other women around.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’d rather he get serious with just about anyone else.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She waves a hand. “At this point, they’re still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Once shit gets real, she’ll be running for the hills. You just need to sit back and wait for it to happen. Your dad has been single and living on his own for a while. I’m sure he has a ton of bad habits that would drive any sane woman crazy.”
Katelyn’s probably right about that.
What am I freaking out about?
The pit that has been sitting at the bottom of my gut since Sunday morning finally disappears.
For the first time in days, I can breathe again. And it feels so good. “I take back everything I just said about you not being a good friend.”
“Thanks, I knew you’d come around eventually.” Katelyn grins and takes another gigantic bite of her burger.
How she manages to fit so much in her mouth is almost impressive. I shake my head and scrunch my nose in disgust. I’m just about to make a pithy comment about the amount of meat in her mouth (wink-wink) when her gaze gets snagged by something over my shoulder.
Her eyes bulge as she squeaks around her mouthful of burger. But it’s so garbled, I can’t make out what she’s saying. Katelyn excitedly draws in a sharp breath which sends the burger shooting down the wrong tube. Eyes widening, she immediately coughs and thumps her chest.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Panic fills me as she continues pounding on her chest. “Do you need the Heimlich?” I rise from my seat. “Nod your head if that’s a yes.” I lace my hands together and crack my knuckles. “I’ll do my best not to break any ribs.”
With her eyes watering, Katelyn shakes her head and points frantically over my shoulder again.
“What is it, Lassie?” I tilt my head, trying to figure out what has her so worked up. “Has Timmy fallen down the well again?”
She gives me a sour look and swallows the chunk stuck in her throat before collapsing against the bench. Huffing out a breath, she grabs her drink and sucks down half of it. “Oh my God, that’s so much better.” She pokers up and accuses me as if I’m to blame for her biting off more than she can chew. “I almost died!”
I splay my hands wide. “And I offered to help.”
“You said you might crack ribs.”
“Umm, it’s called a heroic measure for a reason.” I grab my bottle of water and tip it to my lips before asking, “So, what’s got you all worked up?”
A dreamy look settles over her face. “Evert.”
“Oh?” I hike a brow with interest. Katelyn has been obsessed with her phone ever since the party Saturday night, but he has yet to text. I’m not sure if he’s playing it cool or if he’s just not interested. “Go over and talk to him,” I encourage.
Instead of taking my advice, dismay washes over her features and she shakes her head signaling that my idea is a no-go.
“Come on, Kate,” I cajole. “Go say hi. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just pretend to bump into him. It’s easy.”
Her shoulders hunch as she frantically shakes her head.
“You are such a baby,” I grumble, making an executive decision that she won’t be pleased with. I swivel on my seat and catch sight of Evert who is busy talking with a few friends outside of the cafeteria we’re sitting in.
“Evert!” I bellow at the top of my lungs.
“Ohmygod! What are you doing, Whit!” Katelyn hisses as Evert turns in our direction. He spots us, and she gasps. “Oh no! He’s headed this way! I’m going to die!” She rips her gaze from Evert to glare at me. “But first, I’m going to kill you. Then I can die of mortification!”
Unconcerned with the threat, I wave off her comments. “Please, you’ll thank me for this later.” I grin and glance at Evert who is making his way toward us. Katelyn needs to chillout and roll with this. “Take a deep breath and remember to smile,” I advise. “Everything will be fine.”
She doesn’t have time to blast me with a reply before Evert arrives on the scene and slides into the booth next to me. His hip bumps against mine and I scoot over to make room for him.
I was kind of hoping he would sit next to Katelyn, but I suppose this works. Now they can make eye contact while chatting.
“Hey, Whitney.” He smiles at me before glancing at my roommate. “It’s Katelyn, right?”
Color blooms in her cheeks and she lights up like a Christmas tree.
I raise my brows and smile, hoping that’s all the encouragement she needs to loosen up.
But no…she remains mute.
Which is exactly why I kick her in the shin under the table.
“Ouch.” She jerks up in her seat. “I mean, yes, that’s right.” Then she takes my advice and beams a smile in his direction.
I have to hand it to myself. Sure, Evert has only just sat down but this is going amazingly—
I squint at Katelyn.
What the hell is that?
Is it—
Oh.
Sweet.
Baby.
Jesus.
There’s a piece of lettuce wedged in her teeth. At least it’s not her front teeth, but still…this is bad.
Is it possible that Evert won’t notice?
What am I saying?
Of course, he will.
It’s massive.
And bright green.
It’s all but waving and screaming- Hey! Look at me!
I want to smack my head against the table for allowing this to happen. Katelyn has threatened to kill me in the past, but I suspect she might make good on it when she finds out about this.
“Did you guys have fun at the party the other night?” Evert’s gaze bounces between the pair of us.
I wish he’d just stare in Katelyn’s direction, so I could pantomime to her that there’s food stuck in her teeth. But then again, I don’t want him to look at Katelyn with lettuce stuck in her teeth!
This has turned out to be a disaster.
“Yeah,” I say. “We had a great time.”
“It was so much fun,” my roommate enthuses. For the first time in her life, she has a perma-grin plastered across her face. It’s not helping the situation. Now that I know the lettuce is there, it’s all I can see.
I clear my throat loudly and Katelyn’s gaze swings toward me. I widen my eyes and smile, all the while rubbing my finger against my teeth.
